Gammeeok

Food is great.
Soulangtang is a stew with rice and beef inside. The dish is cooked for long hours (slow cooking, anyone?), with beef bones, to get the broth right and contains a lot of calcium and collagen. The broth taste creamy. (don’t forget to add salt and scallions in the stew!)
This is not a place with hundreds dish on the menu, and their few selections are all excellent.
Comparing it to real Korean food in Korea, this place might be the closest/​finest one you could find in NYC. (finest, but definitely not a arty-​farty modern Korean food place, but you don’t want that anyway)
Kimchi & Kakdoogi (radish kimchi) is tasty (free side dish), which is a good indication for a good Korean restaurants. The pancakes were good too.

5 stars for lunch, 2 stars for a singular bad dinner experience.
4 stars overall because I am a loyal lunch patron
There is a dearth of Korean restaurants on the 32^nd St Ktown strip that offer good food at a reasonable price. I believe gammeeok is one of the few that is able to offer this.
A bowl of sulleongtang (ox-​tail soup aka korean phở) will only set you back $ 12. There’s no «wow» factor (broth is a tad watery and not as flavorful as I wished) but all the elements are there for a satisfying experience and will hit the spot.
Kkatdugi here is on point. They serve it to you in bowls and cut it up in front of you. Perfectly fermented and absolutely delicious. Kimchi is a tad sweet but passable.
The bad: Service is great for weekday lunch when there’s fewer people. Don’t bank on it for weekend dinner — as it was horrendous. I think they were understaffed that day. Also, rice inside the sulleongtang instead of coming in a separate bowl = cheap move.
Still would come back though. Also their lunch specials are worth checking out. You can pig out and double up and get some pork bbq/​bulgogi on the side with the sulleongtang for $ 17!

Came here at around 3:30AM last night (on a Sunday night going into Monday) with my boyfriend after a night at Webster Hall. This was one of the few things open on a Sunday night so we decided to try this place. It’s on the second floor and the interior is really nice. It looked kind of lavish and it was definitely very clean. It was also pretty spacious– (the layout of the restaurant was used to its full potential). We ordered
1) Mul Naengmyun ($ 13): a vinegar based cold soup dish, which is often made with soba noodles. This was by far the best Naengmyun that we’ve tasted. It tasted a little different than the ones you get elsewhere and the noodles were even different. It was a lighter brown in color and thinner (compared to the usual noodles). We’ll definitely be coming back here again throughout the summer to satisfy our Naengmyun cravings.
2) Seafood Pancake (haemul pajun) w/​Makgeolli ($ 20): the fluffiest seafood Pancake that we’ve tried so far. Usually, the seafood pancakes are rather thin.
TLDR; one of our new favorite spots that we’ll definitely be coming back to. Every thing that we tasted last night was super fresh and was high in quality.

Good place for Korean buckwheat noodle and traditional tang (stew) with rice.
I would recommend this place if you are in the mood for those two. Really nothing special.
Their kimchi pancake was YUMS!

Terrible service. First, the table top still had bits of food clinging to it after a haphazard cleaning. Second, it took 30 minutes longer for them to serve a bowl of nengmyun after my companion had been served. Finally, to top it off, it was watered down and tasteless.
On our way out, I also noticed that the restaurant has a B rating from the health department… a B?!

I have been wowed over and over by this establishment throughout my whole experience. This is a wonderful Korean food gem in Manhattan New York, they offer simply delicious food and outstanding service 24 hours 7 days of the week. I had the soulangtang soup and the salmon bibimbap which where both seasoned and cooked to perfection. Service here surpassed my expectations for excellence, everyone was extremely helpful and nice. I will most definitely be returning here whenever I’m in New York.

I was happy to see that they are still in Ktown. I came here on a rainy day wanting something hot and soupy. I love the simplicity of their menu. I always get the boyang kkori tang or the sullung tang. Excellent kimchi, I love how they provide you with a jar of it.

The décor of this fairly new location is very modern and clean. It is on the second floor of a building so if you are looking for it around K-​town, look up. Good for large groups and kids but keep in mind you will need to walk up a flight of stairs.
This chain is known for their kimchi and ox-​bone soup, it is pretty much what I order every time I dine here. Kimchi, like all Korean restaurants, is complimentary here and at Gammeeok it is mixed with radish. I grew up eating kimchi, so that somewhat qualifies me to say that the kimchi here is truly special. They literally leave a big bowl of fermented goodness next to you so that you can help yourself to unlimited kimchi.
I also tried their bulgogi tacos, dumplings, and wings. They were decent but if you come here, stick to the ox-​bone soup and binge on their kimchi/​radish.
TIPS
*Make sure you season your ox-​bone soup with salt and scallions (and black pepper if you’d like).
*Dip your kimchi into the soup if you prefer a spicier broth.

After extensive research to find Korean food within the vicinity of Midtown, I was pretty disappointed with the choices/​reviews of choices of Korean spots nearby. We settled for this place after reading the reviews and seeing that it was open ²⁴⁄₇. The food wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t spectacular or anything to remember to come back to :(the prices were $$ and weren’t too bad but not on the cheap side either.

I went here for dinner the other day with a couple friends. It had a really nice and modern ambience. When I went, it was not too crowded and did not need a reservation. The waitress was really friendly and nice and made pretty good recommendations.
As for the food, the kimchi they serve here is probably one of the best kimchi I have ever had. It was perfectly balanced in tanginess and sweetness, while at the same time not being too spicy.
For my main entrée, I ordered the eel stew /​soup (forgot the name), which according to our waitress is really good for men (I don’t know what that means but I’ll take it). It was pretty tasty, not too salty, but also nothing special in my opinion. Overall, I had a good time with friends and had a pretty satisfying meal. I would definitely come here again.

This is an overdue review — I’ve been coming here for their sullungtang pretty much every weekend for the past two months. It’s the best in the city outside Flashing.
To be clear, they opened some time last year and I was told they’ve been in Ktown for a long time but they moved to this location after closing the old location. I came here during their first month or two (maybe soft opening?), they were cash only and you had to order at the counter. Maybe they were still sorting out things, the cash only sign was not visible and they messed up my order. I wasn’t 100% happy about this place. Then some Korean friends swear that they have THE best sullungtang, so we decided to come back. It was a pleasant surprise: no more cash only, no more ordering at counter. Every time we’ve come here, we were welcomed right away. I always get the sullungtang deluxe because I like to have tendon and beef tongue in my soup, and the rice isn’t dumped in the soup, versus normal sullungtang is beef only and rice is already in the soup when they bring it to your table. Another big plus, they bring a jar of kimchi to your table and cut in front of your eyes and leave the jar at table, and they are NOT shy on kimchi portions. LOVE it. If you are like me, like everything spicy, I’d also suggest add some kimchi juice to the soup. It will add some acidity and spiciness to richness of oxtail soup, just perfect.
Onto their appetizers, their kimchi pancake and mandoo were terrible. I strongly recommend anyone NOT getting mandoo here, which was arguably the worst I’ve ever had — meat was unfresh and there’s no flavor due to probably being frozen for a long time. Kimchi pancake was too doughy and uncooked in the middle. But on the flip side, their meat-​oriented appetizers, e.g., steamed pork belly, beef tenderloin, Soondae (blood sausage) were all pretty amazing. I’m still giving it a 5 star because of their amazing sullungtang, kimchi jar, and yummy meat-​oriented appetizers. Annnnnd I will probably be back here this weekend as well.

I’ve been to this restaurant when they first opened but I never sat down to eat after seeing the limited menu they had to offer.
This second time around, I came back with a large group of 8 – 10 on a late Saturday night (around midnight) without a reservation. They were very accommodating and super friendly. To my delighted surprise, the menu expanded quite a bit. Now you can find yourself anything from a small appetizer to a full size entrée.
Not sure what it was called since my co-​worker ordered it, but my favorite has to be this gochujang pork belly dish… SO YUMMY! It goes so well with a beer and funny thing is, I normally don’t like pork belly so way to go Gammeeok!

A beautifully decorated Korean restaurant. Very modern, clean and organized. Service is good and it’s tastes good. They just lack in some areas in my opinion. Portion!
The best part of this restaurant, in terms of food, is their Kimchi. Their Kimchi, a mix of nappa cabbage and radish, is beautifully fermented, not too spicy, slightly on the sweet side than normal. They say that they bring all the ingredients from Korea. Kimchi is available for purchase at the restaurant.
Food:
Seoulleong Tang — The soup is rich, creamy and deliciously fatty. It tastes super good with their Kimchi. But, the portion… the soup comes with some beef slices, rice and noodles and it’s just not enough. I would appreciate a separate bowl of rice.
Naengmyun — one of my favorite Korean food and they got it almost right. The sauce and topping is good! Unfortunately, the noodles were a bit bloated and it took some effort to mix with the sauce. I would need to try again to see if I just caught them on a bad day.

Classic soulangtang place in the heart of NYC’s korean district («district» is a vague term since it’s only a few streets).
It’s been here for decades and though the décor has changed somewhat since I last lived here, the food is still delicious (though they now serve korean tacos).

My first visit here was during its grand opening (September 2015) and I was ready to give it a 2-​star review. I refrained from doing so and I have recently returned due to its «winter special» promotion. For the improvement, I think this place deserves a 4-​star review.
During my initial visit the customer service was strange, at that time I was not sure if I’d come back. After arriving and waiting by the staircase, I was told to go directly to the kitchen/​cashier (to your left upon entering) and place my order. The party in front of me took about 5 — 10 minutes placing multiple orders and there was only one cashier. She gestured me to be patient so I just waited on line. When it was my turn, she asked first «do you speak Korean»? I shook my head. She said ok and then gestured the customer behind me over to the counter and proceeded to help her. I was so confused and another staff came to me a few seconds later and placed my order.
Since then, I have thought about returning here and had hoped they have improved over the months. I am glad that I have done so.
You should know that this place has a limited menu. Their specialty is Naengmyeon. I have had naengmyeon from a number of places and I do have to say their naengmyeon is definitely my top choice. While they don’t have side dishes, they do give you a whole jar of kimchi. Make sure to check in here on Unilocal to get a free pancake ($ 5 value). They have lunch special (til 3pm, M-​F) and then HH special.
What I really like about the place is that they give you free barley tea as well as some kind of pork (or beef?) bone soup, with your dish. They are absolutely delicious!
Customer service has significantly improved. I am always happy to support local business so even though this place is overshadowed by Five Senses, I think you should give this place a try.

My go to place for seolleongtang. Definitely one the best I’ve ever had. It’s so simple, warm, and comforting– jjust the ox bone broth, rice, noodles, and you can add in your own seasoning such as scallions, pepper, salt, etc. I was so happy to find a restaurant with this dish. I promise I will try other dishes, but the seolleongtang is just so tempting every time I go there. It’s open ²⁴⁄₇ so if I’m craving it, I can go any time I want!
Unlike other Korean restaurants, this place doesn’t have that many side dishes. But their kimchi is to die for. Probably the best in Ktown. They put their kimchi in jars. When they bring it to your table, they take it out of the jar and cut it for you. It also has radishes.
The staff is very nice and welcoming. They give you barley tea when you sit, but it’s a bit too hot. Like… WAY too hot. I burned my tongue. But I love barley tea so… :)

Gammeeok is a nice change of pace from all of the other Korean restaurants in the area that serve similar fare. It’s brightly lit, unlike some of its dark and questionable competitors, where you can’t even be completely sure what exactly you’re eating. It’s new and clean, so maybe it’ll only be a matter of time.
Anyway, a friend and I came in at around 8:30 on a Friday when our first option nearby was packed and we were starving. We didn’t have to wait if we agreed to take the high table (if you can wait, opt for a table. The high chairs were a tad uncomfortable. Plus you’ll be rubbing elbows with strangers).
We decided to get a bunch of dishes and share everything. They brought out some kimchi/​radishes which I really liked. Some places make it too sweet but it tasted perfect here. Not too spicy or salty either. They also brought out some fresh napa cabbage, cucumbers, and carrots. It was interesting — I guess maybe because I’m just not used to Korean joints serving plain cabbage. It could have just been a side to one of the dishes we ordered, which were the japchae (stir-​fried sweet potato noodles with veggies and beef), mandu (steamed dumplings), and bibim naengmyun (spicy cold noodles).
I liked the japchae — there was a good amount of beef but I wish there were more noodles than veggies in it. The mandu was good as well. I’m not sure what kind of meat it was filled with (probably pork) but the dumpling wrapper was steamed perfectly. It didn’t break when I picked it up, nor was it too thick or too thin. My friend thought the bibim naengmyun was too spicy but I thought it was the perfect amount (also, I think they’re having a winter special right now where cold noodles are 40% off).
Service was good but they only thing that was slightly shady was the Unilocal check-​in offer. If you check in, you supposedly receive a free kimchi pancake. But then when we asked the waiter about it, he said we’d have to take a picture of the pancake, post it on Instagram, and tag Gammeeok (they should probably specify this on the Unilocal offer). So then he clicked ‘use it now’ and then never brought it out. We weren’t too bummed out about it since we already had a lot of food. But it just seemed a little off to me.
I would still come back. Not sure why this place only got 3 stars. I thought the food was pretty good. Plus, I believe it’s open 24 hours — perfect for a late night snack!

I was looking to a place to eat, in k-​town with a friend, when we saw this place. The of Gammeeok is located in the second floor, and the place is pretty big with a great and friendly staff, is a great option if you are looking for a good soup.
I order the Dogani Tang; is a soup that is make with beef knucklebones and the surrounding meat that is boiled until the meat becomes tender. The tender meat is served in its broth to be seasoned with salt and pepper with rice on the side. The soup came with a lot of beef tendon in bite-​sized chunks; the taste was not that flavored but the meat was so tender that melts in my mouth. Great option if you dont like spicy food.
My friend order the Soggi Gukbap a spicy beef soup server with rice made by boiling beef lef bones for 24 hours and then adding spices, beef and bean sprouts. He found it very good because he loves spicy food.
We also share the Mandu; minced meat and vegetables that filled dumplings are steamed and server with a mixture of soy sauce and vinegar, where you can dip it, both of the mandu were good.
Ps. Thanks to the staff that holds on to my glasses until the next day, really appreciate it.

Gammeeok is on second floor next to and overshadowed by a popular Korean restaurant. Once you reach upstairs, you’ll find yourself in a brightly-​lit, tastefully designed dining space.
Unlike traditional Korean restaurants, Gammeeok doesn’t serve complimentary appetizers. However, interestingly they give each table a generous jar of delicious kimchee and you can just help yourself to it with your meal.
The bandaetteok, mung bean pancake, was a hearty and tasty starter which I’d recommend if you like Korean pancakes in general. Their bibimbap (came with a soup on the side) had all the ingredients that I’d hope for and really hit the spot. The dogani tang was mildly flavored but still delicious, and great for a hot, healthy meal.
The staff was very out of sync with the customers. My waiter served my tea in a dirty cup with clearly visible lipstick marks from the previous customer who used it. When I appointed it out, he was neither surprised or apologetic. It made me wonder if this was normal for them?
They didn’t realize the music was being blasted too loud at one corner of the restaurant where the speakers were installed, to the point it was difficult to enjoy our food and have a conversation over the meal.
It was a shame because the interior décor at Gammeeok is beautiful and the food was delicious, but the service and sanitation issue left a bad taste and I doubt I’d be returning here with friends.

When the weather starts getting chilly, I start craving seolleong tang!
Surprisingly, this is one of the only places that seems to have it in New York. I’m so glad they opened a couple months ago and set up shop here. The restaurant is located right above Five Senses and has a really big space! It’s clean, new, and very well-​lit. I was surprised to find that there were outlets under nearly every seat (at least where I was sitting), although I definitely wouldn’t expect that at a restaurant.
SEOLLEONG TANG (OX BONE SOUP)
Onto the food! If you haven’t had seolleongtang before, it’s a milky, ox bone-​broth with thin white noodles and brisket pieces. It’s very simple and makes for great comfort food. A word of warning: don’t expect the broth to be strongly flavorful. It’s designed to form a base for the green onion, salt, and pepper that they provide on the table. If you don’t add these, you’ll definitely think something is lacking. I like mine with some generous scoops of green onion and a couple shakes of salt. Although the broth isn’t quite as «meaty» and bone-​rich as some of my favorite places back in LA, it’s definitely enough to satisfy my craving for now.
The kimchi is also excellent here! They provide both cabbage and my favorite radish kimchi and cut it for you at the table. I usually mix some into the broth to make it spicier, but when it’s as good as it at Gammeeok, you should enjoy it separately.
One thing that was unusual for me was that the rice was already in the soup. At most places, I’ve had it on the side and dipped it spoon by spoon into the broth. I was hesitant at the new approach, but it tasted just as good! Maybe even better since it gets to soak in the broth for longer.
Service was friendly and very attentive. My water and tea were always full, and I swear they read my mind once too… I like having spoonfuls of rice with the sauce that drains from kimchi, and there wasn’t too much in my plate. Like magic, a waiter appeared before I even finished thinking and poured some into my bowl of kimchi. Simultaneously weird and wonderful.
So excited to have found a spot for seoulleongtang in the city! I want to come back and try the doganitang, which they said is like seoulleongtang with tendon pieces instead of brisket. Welcome to the neighborhood, Gammeeok!